Naruto : Minato back to the past

After Minato's words, Tsunade and the other three were momentarily stunned before nodding in agreement. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have been allowed to participate in this meeting. But Minato's situation was special. He had not only served as the intelligence courier for the attack on the Land of Wind but had also made outstanding contributions in battle. Most importantly, three of the four leaders held him in high regard.

Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo already admired him, and after witnessing his performance in the war, even Hyuga Tenki was impressed by this boy who was not yet eleven years old. Minato's strength was unmatched in the Konoha camp, aside from the four of them.

Even those elite Anbu members like Suzuka couldn't compare to this boy.

"Thank you," Minato said respectfully, then removed the ninja tool bag from his waist. "I know that you are all concerned about a particular issue, but I believe I may have a solution."

"Oh?" The four of them were surprised.

Buzz.

After speaking, Minato condensed a layer of chakra on his right hand, forming a glove-like substance.

"Chakra release!" Tsunade and the others were slightly surprised. To condense chakra into an object like a glove required exceptional chakra control. While the four of them could do it, seeing someone as young as Minato achieve this level of control was impressive—something even seasoned Jonin often couldn't accomplish.

However, they were more curious about why Minato had used chakra to create a protective shield on his hand.

Facing their surprised gazes, Minato, under the protection of the chakra glove, reached into his ninja bag. After a moment of searching, he pulled out a kunai. It appeared ordinary, but the blade had a slightly different hue.

As Minato held the kunai, the chakra on his hand began to turn purple, as if contaminated.

"Chiyo's poison is indeed extraordinary," Minato muttered, then shook his hand lightly. The layer of chakra attached to his hand, along with the kunai, fell away.

The expressions of Tsunade and the others changed. It was now clear that what Minato had retrieved was precisely the sample they needed.

"He can manipulate chakra to this extent," Orochimaru muttered, surprised by Minato's technique. This method of releasing chakra and then discarding it was reminiscent of the Eight Trigrams Palm of the Hyuga clan. It was a feat more challenging than just releasing chakra.

Hatake Sakumo smiled faintly. He was the least surprised, having already witnessed Minato's exceptional chakra control, particularly in his mastery of the Rasengan—a technique that required even finer control.

"Did you collect this kunai during the battle with the Sand Ninjas?" Tsunade asked, frowning slightly as she pieced together the story.

"Yes, I retrieved it when I destroyed the puppeteers' puppets," Minato replied, following the same method to pull out other ninja tools like steel cables and more kunai from his bag.

The four leaders exchanged glances, clearly impressed.

When Minato threw the last of the Sand Ninja's tools in front of Tsunade, his arm, still releasing chakra, twitched slightly. Minato frowned, suppressing the discomfort.

"Though your injuries have mostly healed, your chakra reserves haven't fully recovered. Performing such precise chakra control when your chakra points aren't fully restored naturally leads to spasms," Tsunade explained, walking towards Minato while forming hand seals.

Buzz.

She stood beside Minato, her palm glowing faintly with chakra, and placed it on his shoulder. As she used medical ninjutsu to aid his recovery, she asked, "How did you think of bringing back these poison samples?"

Her eyes were filled with deep appreciation. After all, in such a chaotic situation, being able to think this far ahead wasn't just a matter of talent. It required an analytical mind and rational thinking—traits that showed Minato's maturity surpassed even that of the four leaders.

Minato smiled and said, "Senior Nawaki was poisoned by Chiyo before, and it left a strong impression on me. Seeing so many of my comrades fall to this poison, it was only natural to think of bringing back a sample for Lady Tsunade."

"I believe that in the current ninja world, no one but you can break Chiyo's poison."

From what Minato remembered of the previous Shinobi War, he didn't have all the details, but the battle between Chiyo and Tsunade was legendary. Few ninjas in the world didn't know about it.

Having seen his comrades suffer twice from Chiyo's poison, how could Minato not pay close attention?

"Are you flattering me, kid?" Tsunade chuckled, then looked at Sakumo and the others, shrugging as she said, "It seems the four of us have been outdone by a child."

"Haha, yes," Sakumo and Hyuga Tenki smiled helplessly, while a fleeting, strange look passed through Orochimaru's eyes as he observed Minato.

Minato noticed the look but didn't dwell on it. Whatever Orochimaru was thinking, at least for now, he was still a ninja of Konoha. That was all Minato needed to know.

A few minutes later, Tsunade removed her hand from Minato's shoulder and said, "Just as Sakumo said, your body's recovery ability is different from that of ordinary people. If I get the chance, I'd really like to study it further."

After Tsunade's treatment, Minato felt a sense of relief, even noticing that his chakra flow had become much smoother.

"Thank you," Minato said gratefully, but Tsunade shook her head.

"If it weren't for you, we'd be in a desperate situation today. It looks like you won't remain a Special Jonin for long; a promotion is likely on the horizon."

Minato smiled, not caring much about the prospect of promotion.

Tsunade walked over to the ninja tools Minato had laid out, squatted down, and formed a chakra shield on her palm. She picked up one of the tools and examined it.

Minato observed that the toxin, which had rapidly eroded his chakra, spread much more slowly within the chakra shield covering Tsunade's hand. This was a testament to her superior chakra control. Though both shields were made of chakra, the solidity of Tsunade's was far greater.

"There's light at the end of the tunnel," Hatake Sakumo said with a smile. Once again, Minato's careful actions during the war had turned the tide in Konoha's favor.

Afterward, the four leaders in the tent deliberately kept silent, waiting for Tsunade to find a way to neutralize Chiyo's poison.

Of the four, only Minato was completely unconcerned.

Because he already knew the outcome.

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